When two inmates escape from the local jail, an extended manhunt causes Nora to think twice about her small, safe and friendly town. Nora and her journalist buddy Lizzie set out to listen and report on the situation which we read about via letters, texts, and transcripts for the town time capsule. What they learn is that people are more than the choices they make. They also discover that their quiet little town was more racially biased than they imagined. Kate Messner does a brilliant job of gently weaving race into the storyline. Nora begins to look at her town through a lens of race and privilege that she didn't see before. Kate Messner leaves readers with thought-provoking questions about the choices we make and the way we view others around us.

Due to technical difficulties, I read this entire book on my phone screen. The fact that I persevered on should tell you I liked it. This story is perfect for middle-grade readers not quite ready for Angie Thomas and Jason Reynolds books.

Anyone that reads my blog on a regular basis knows that I love the new crop of books 16CEC2CB-E553-400A-81FD-D02E19FEB1B3being written by middle grade and young adult writers. I am a HUGE fan of the author Kate Messner. Marty Maguire is a must read aloud first book of the school year for me. In my classroom library, she has her own book bin, with many of her novels. Not only does Kate write with much variety; her books are all very different; but she is also active on social media. She has been the first author to tweet at us this year and my students claim that they are famous because of her. When an author tweets at your class, it is reading gold. Students read more!

I was given the opportunity to preview her new book Breakout and I jumped at the chance. I just turned the last page and I had to blog about it. It is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I felt every emotion possible as I devoured the book. I laughed, I cried, I was mortified, I was shocked but most of all, I was sad to see the characters go.

As a teacher, I knew that the writing style would appeal to all students; it is told from three different perspectives, Lizzie and Nora (two best friends) and Elidee (an African America seventh grader who moves to the town with her mom because her brother is in the prison). It is two weeks before the end of the school year and the characters need to contribute to a time capsule. While they are doing this, there is a prison breakout of two inmates. The prison is located in a 99% white suburb.

The story is told through letters, text messages,drawings, poems and recorded conversations (to name a few). I totally felt like I was seeing the story unfold. Each main character had a definite voice, however, so did the secondary characters. All the characters are playing in my head right now as I process this fabulous book. The writing type will keep even our more reluctant reader entertain.

As Kate weaves the story, lessons are subtlety spun throughout. She interweaves history and facts to help the reader get the full picture of the message she is trying to portray.

I hope that this blog post doesn’t appear to be jumping all over the place, as I process the brilliance! This book will definitely have a place on my library shelf! Kate Messner has proven yet again why she is one of my favorite middle grade writers!

Breakout is a great book that will really appeal to middle grade readers. The title and cover attracted me might away. The plot was interesting and kept me reading. The format of the novel was unique and will really hook some of the most reluctant readers. I will definitely recommend this to my middle school students. It will keep them on the edge of their seats and also give them something to think about which is a great bonus.

I really, really liked this book! Loved the format of the storytelling. This book can lead to a lot of good discussions with students.

Every once in a while, a book comes along that has the potential to make a reader a better person. Breakout, written by Kate Messner, is one such book. On its surface, Breakout is a middle-grade realistic fiction novel with relatable characters and a mysterious plot twist-- two inmates break out of the state prison, which just happens to be located in the main characters' hometown. This was a unique enough storyline to grab my attention, but what makes this book truly memorable and special is how it handles the incredibly complex topic of race relations in small-town America.



Nora Tucker is a twelve-year-old budding investigative journalist from the sleepy town of Wolf Creek, New York. Tasked with an extra-credit project of creating a time-capsule project for Wolf Creek residents 50 years in the future, Nora talks her best friend, Lizzie, into creating entries with her. Nora and Lizzie aren't sure there will be much to discuss in their time-capsule entries, but that all changes when two prisoners, both convicted of murder, escape from the state prison that looms over Wolf Creek. Suddenly, Nora's quiet hometown becomes the epicenter of chaos as state troopers, local police, and news reporters from across the country converge on Wolf Creek to cover the manhunt for the missing prisoners.



Shortly before the breakout, Elidee Jones and her mother move to Wolf Creek. Elidee enrolls at Wolf Creek Middle School with two weeks left in the school year, which is hard enough as it is-- but that's not all that is complicating Elidee's life. In addition to having to leave her beloved Bronx neighborhood, the real reason Elidee moved to Wolf Creek is so she and her mother could visit Troy, Elidee's brother, more often-- and Troy currently resides at the state prison. Add on the fact that Elidee is one of only two black students at Wolf Creek Middle School, and you'll understand why she longs for her home in New York City.



Wolf Creek claims to be a welcoming, quiet town in the mountains, but the stressful environment of two prisoners on the loose helps Nora and Lizzie see that even people they've known for their whole lives are capable of racial discrimination and poor decisions. Nora struggles with the injustice she sees-- after all, these are people she knows well-- but she cannot stand by and watch as Elidee and her family are treated differently based on their family's situation and the color of their skin.



This book will make you THINK in the best possible way. It will cause you to feel uncomfortable and reflect upon your own bias, but it will also help you grow as a person. Told in a series of letters to future Wolf Creek residents, text conversations, graphic novel panels illustrated by Nora's brother, and announcement and news transcripts, this story is both timely and memorable. I highly, highly recommend this engaging and unique book!

I really enjoyed it. There is diversity of characters and thought-provoking dialogue. What also made it fun to read is the format. The premise is that a middle school is creating a time capsule and students are encouraged to write up to five letters for extra credit. OF course, there are more than letters. There are recorded conversations that are transcribed, text messages, comics, and newspapers. I like that Kate got her idea from the prison escape in 2015 at Clinton Correctional, too. As I was reading the story, I was remembering that being on the news

Easily one of the best middle-grade books I've recently read, Breakout is an epistolary comprised of submissions to a time capsule: letters, photos, poems, drawings, etc. When their English teacher assigned middle school class to write 5 letters for inclusion in the time capsule, everyone was expecting the results to be a boring account of the day-to-day life in Wolf Creek. That all changes when two convicted murderers escape from the local prison. The characters include the prison superintendent's daughter, her best friend (whose ties to the escape are revealed later), and a girl who moves to Wolf Creek to be close to her brother who is in the prison.

It is an interesting premise to begin with and Messner makes it more so by using the story to address racial inequalities, white privilege, and the need for prison reform in a completely age-appropriate and extraordinarily thought-provoking way.

At one point, Nora says she's tired of thinking about all of these things and her older (and very socially conscious) brother points out that Elidee (who is black) doesn't have the luxury of not thinking about it. As I read this, I could anticipate light bulbs going on over young readers' heads.

There was more to this than I expected from the teasers and knowing some of the background of the story from Kate's posts. I was drawn in by the different layers to the story, the multi-genre method of telling it, and the characters authenticity. And Messner allows the characters and circumstances to delve into deeper issues of racism and systemic oppression, in a way that is engaging and developmentally appropriate for the targeted age level, making this a must purchase for intermediate and middle grades classrooms and libraries.

Due to technical issues with the Adobe reader on my device, I was unable to finish this book. The first 50 pages were awesome and I look forward to reading the rest someday.

It is hard to put into words how much I liked this book. I love this type of format and even though it is a long book, I think that helps it move along faster.
A for sure purchase for our library in the future.

The entire story of prejudice and race is written through a series of letters, essays, articles, texts, and poetry. It allows us to examine different points of view from multiple perspectives. Kate Messner handled an important subject in an outstanding manner. This book is thought provoking and will cause readers to take a step back and reflect, while still being written to appeal to middle grade readers. I look forward to sharing it with students and talking about it with them.